34 posts tagged “stupid”
Video here
Full story here.Members of the San Gabriel Valley Arson Explosives Task Force have seized more than half a ton of illegal fireworks from a residential neighborhood in Boyle Heights, averting a potentially explosive and deadly situation, authorities said.
“Given the amount of fireworks in the residence, and the densely populated area ... we could have had a detonation of all that material, and it would have destroyed a good portion of the block, or several houses,” said Alhambra Fire Department Assistant Chief John Kabala.
The investigation originated after arson investigators from the Alhambra Fire Department found dangerous fireworks and unlawful explosives being advertised for sale on Craigslist, Kabala said. The department conducts regular checks of the free classified advertising site, Kabala said.
Now selling fireworks that are illegal in California (a "safe and sane" state) is stupid, and advertising them on craigslist is even stupider. But that doesn't give fire officials permission to lie and exaggerate. Later in the article they compare it to a drug bust, which is accurate in the level of fearmongering and BS... I posted a comment in the article saying that the fireworks were 1.4G consumer fireworks, by definition incapable of mass explosion, but it seems to have been deleted. I'll post it again and see what happens.
Two arrested after fireworks set off indoors
WENATCHEE — Police blocked off the streets surrounding a Cleveland Avenue home after the sound of a firework set off indoors was mistaken for gunfire. Two people, including an 18-year-old man, were arrested as a result.
...An 18-year-old Wenatchee man was booked into the Chelan County Regional Justice Center on suspicion of illegal possession of fireworks, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstruction and hit-and-run of an unattended vehicle.
A juvenile girl was booked into the Chelan County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of obstructing law enforcement officers after coming out of the home and not telling police someone was still inside.
Sounds like the police got a little too excited, but the stupid people here are clearly the ones in the house... (link to story)
Blog comments - I almost never got comments on this blog (no surprise, not too many people read it, and even fewer have accounts), but most of them recently have been spam. I delete them as soon as I see them, but it is still annoying. Now only people set as friends can post comments, and I've never even done the friends thing before, so I'm not expecting a lot of comments...
My Renn Fayre fireworks show is in less than a month and everything is on track. The show is done, product is pulled and cued, and permits are almost finalized. I should be getting a video with my camera, plus a high quality video that I will post about when I get it...
Fireworks season is just getting started, so time to get excited! Next weekend I'll hopefully be helping shoot a demo up at Muckleshoot, so look for a post on that soon.
Fire officials battle bill that would OK consumer fireworks (link)
Ok, sounds like a typical news story on a proposal to allow consumer fireworks in a state...
Um...what? It is quite expected to have fire officials argue about this and a debate about legalizing consumer fireworks is totally appropriate, especially in a dry state like Arizona. But why would anyone (Crosbie included) think it was a good idea to trot Crosbie out to argue against it? What happened to him was unfortunate and clearly very painful, but it was his own damn fault and has no bearing on the issue. Unless his argument is "I am living proof that we are too stupid to use fireworks according to directions," then he should stay away from this debate.After the series of explosions and after he finally forced his way out of the car, Matt Crosbie looked down and saw the skin peeling from his arms.
Flashes of smoke, flames and burned flesh followed just moments after Crosbie tried to launch mortar-like fireworks out the window of a moving car days before his high school graduation. One of the explosives he fired from a cardboard tube bounced back into the vehicle, igniting more fireworks and leaving the car engulfed in fire.
...
Crosbie, who recently joined firefighters recently to speak out against the bill, said he was inspired to serve as a burn-victim advocate after he rehabbed.
"I've had 30 surgeries, plenty of skin grafts," said Crosbie, now 23. "I guess you could say I'm scarred for life because of this."
Yeah, it was more than a week ago, but I just found a couple of really cool pictures here. Only a couple are of fireworks, but the whole set is great, the Big Picture series always has great stuff.
I saw a few news stories in the last couple weeks about the Chinese New Year and how they make special exceptions for fireworks use in cities, but nothing that was enough for a post at the time. You can find them if you look around, and I'm sure there are plenty of cool videos on youtube...
UPDATE: Chinese TV station sorry for accidentally burning down brand-new luxury hotel
A Chinese television station has apologised after unauthorised fireworks it was using accidentally set fire to a brand new 44-storey luxury hotel in downtown Beijing - engulfing it in flames.
The Mandarin Oriental hotel, still under construction, caught fire as the skies above the Chinese capital were filled with fireworks - part of celebrations of the lantern festival that follows the Lunar New Year.
Other than the usual "M-80 is not a 1/4 stick of dynamite" comment, I don't think anything else can be said about this story... (link)LATROBE, Pa. -- Police said a Latrobe teenager who lost his right hand and leg in an explosion has acknowledged playing with a powerful firework, and was not targeted or threatened as he first told police.
Wesley Kimmick, 17, of Latrobe, remains hospitalized at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh after a Jan. 10 explosion at his grandmother's home.
Latrobe police said the teenager was playing with a large firecracker like an M-80 in his grandmother's house."There was a quarter stick of dynamite in the house where he was staying, and he got a hold of it and it blew him up basically," said his mother, Heather Adams.
The boy kept lighting and extinguishing the fuse and when it wouldn't go out, police said he put the firework between his thighs and covered it with his right hand in hopes of muffling the explosion.
Police said the boy first told them the explosive blew up in a backpack after he was the target of threats from unknown people.
Bomb squad called for homemade fireworks
Two kids were detained by the Kern County Sheriff's Office after neighbors say they heard about five loud bangs that may have come from homemade fireworks.
The sheriff's bomb squad responded about 5:15 p.m. to the 2800 block of Kentucky Street in east Bakersfield. Authorities shut down the street for more than an hour before taking away a small box that they said contained hazardous materials.
The alleged perpetrators are ages 10 and 12, according to sheriff's officials. The kids were questioned and appeared to be released into their parents' custody.
No injuries were reported.
"10-lbs. of marijuana seized following fireworks explosion"
A man injured by a malfunction of a fireworks mortar had 10 pounds of marijuana seized when deputies responded to his fireworks explosion near Laytonville at 12:36 a.m. Tuesday.
It probably wasn't a good idea to shoot illegal 3" shells while drunk, but having ten pounds of pot sitting around just makes it more hilarious. The injury was just to his hand so it was enough to teach him a lesson without being life-threatening.
Due to lack of money (the main sponsor dropped out), the annual July 4th fireworks at Fort Vancouver, WA have been canceled. I've never been to this show and doubt that it lives up to its billing as the "largest show west of the Mississippi," but it still sucks that it won't happen.
As a result, a brilliant idea has been suggested: stop selling consumer fireworks! News stories here, here, and here. You see, part of the money from fireworks sales goes to making the professional show happen. So if you aren't having the professional show, why raise money through fireworks sales? This sounds like just an excuse from people who want to ban fireworks anyway to me. Why not redirect that money to firefighters, or schools, or some other worthy recipient? Why should the city turn down revenue?
Where will all the Oregon residents go to buy their aerials? Only fountains and other "safe and sane" stuff is legal in OR, so everyone just hops the river and brings stuff back, it is a grand old tradition!
Anyway, I had something more (and possibly more intelligent) to say, but I'm kind of busy and will call it good. Tomorrow I leave for more than a week in Hawaii, so there won't be any posting. When I get back I should have another nice pile of stuff to add to the stash I've been assembling, and a few days after that, hopefully a show to post! Hope for good weather...
So here is a reminder of what not to do with fireworks this summer...
I can't quite tell what this is, maybe if I look a little closer!
Let me count the ways to abuse shells... One, two, three, four, five!
I never got the appeal of intentionally hurting your nuts, I guess I'm just not a real man...
In other news, this July 4th I'll be working with Wolverine on a barge show in Gig Harbor. I've never worked on a barge show before, so I'm looking forward to it.
I also got a new digital camera with a more functional video mode, so hopefully I can take longer videos now and not have to deal with quicktime...
